Haptic Communication
by chimesDissent
Summary: Touch, although often valued, doesn't always make communicating easy.


"Okay, but that still doesn't explain why you find it necessary to laze around our room with your clothes off!"

Weiss' foot tapped against the ground at a steady beat as she stared at the two sisters. With her arms crossed against her chest and her head turned off to the side, Yang knew she had the girl flustered.

"Oh, come on, it's not like you've never seen a naked person before. Chill, Weiss, it's all good up here." Yang flashed her a smile and then turned her head to shoot Blake a wink in good measure.

"No! I will not 'chill'. I don't understand what the two of you think you are doing!"

"But I just told you, Weiss! I'm sore, achy!" Yang said, flopping face first into her mattress, rubbing her hands through her hair while letting out a low groan. "These beautifully sculpted muscles need a rub down after a long workout and Ruby knows how to do it right!"

At the mention of her name, Ruby risked a glance at the two girls still standing by the doorway. "I'm really sorry, you guys. We didn't know you'd be back from Professor Oobleck's class so soon."

Yang lifted her head again, sighing as she stared back down at Weiss and Blake. "Look, if it really bothers the two of you that much, I'll put my top back on, but this is a sisterly ritual and I don't really want to give it up."

Blake shrugged as she walked towards her bed. "I never said it bothered me. It just wasn't something I was expecting to see." Up close, she had a better view of the two sisters. Yang laid sprawled across Ruby's legs, giving the younger girl easy access to her back and shoulders. Although it had first looked like her top had been completely removed, Blake could see that it had simply been lifted and bunched up towards her neck. The bottom half of her hair had been loosely braided and tossed to the side, probably in a quick effort to keep it out of the way.

Yang smiled as she looked down at her partner, not really caring that she was being assessed. "Well, it was like Ruby said, we weren't expecting you back for another hour. You surprised us just as much."

"Wait, wait. Let me get this perfectly clear." Weiss hadn't moved from her spot near the doorway, but she had at least managed to make eye contact with Yang this time. "This is considered a normal ritual between the two of you?"

The sisters had taken the time to exchange a glance and Ruby gave a quick shrug as she looked back at Weiss. "Uh, yeah, I guess so? I mean, we did this back at Signal, too."

"Hey, it's not like I'd trust anyone else with a massage without risking the chance of them trying to cop a feel. They'd end up with a broken face if they even thought about it, but that doesn't mean I want to go through the experience anyway." Yang patted one of Ruby's knees, signaling her to lean backwards so Yang could sit up again. She had enough sense to pull down her shirt before sitting up fully, but that didn't stop Weiss from letting out a short yell and turning her head away again. Yang laughed at the action, sending Ruby an easy grin as the girl let out an embarrassed groan. "Don't worry, princess, I'm decent now."

Weiss looked at them again, her brows settled low in her characteristic expression of annoyance that hadn't taken the rest of the team long to figure out. "To think that I, of all people, have to put up with such deplorable behavior from my own teammates. I'm starting to think we need to lay down a few ground rules to keep such embarrassments from happening in the future."

"Weiss, I don't think that's really necessary! We haven't had any major problems so far. We're just…learning to live together as a team, that's all." Ruby wasn't sure if her pleading would work to convince Weiss, but she certainly didn't want to imagine a dorm room controlled by her partner. They had only been formed as a team for a few weeks now, still trying to balance their new alliances and their heavy load of classes, and Ruby knew that stress inside their room could lead to disastrous effects.

"How about this," Yang said, willing to make amends before the situation got too serious, "Ruby and I will continue to do our thing, but if you do get out of class early again, you can shoot us a message through the scroll and we'll make ourselves more…presentable. That way, no one gets embarrassed or feels like they can't enter the room and everyone stays happy."

Blake nodded, not seeing a reason to disagree with the proposal. She might not be the type of person to engage in such affectionate displays, but she could tell that the sisters were close. Trying to force them into changing their habits would only cause unnecessary group tension.

Weiss, however, breathed outwards as she considered Yang's words. It wasn't exactly what she had meant when she suggested rules, but she had promised Ruby that she would be the best teammate ever, and if that included accepting these loose boundaries, then so be it. There would always be another day to create more organization in their lives within the room, but she had to be willing to try this out first. "I suppose we could test that. For now."

"Great! You won't regret it, Weiss!" Ruby grinned brightly at her partner, happy that they had been able to work out some sort of agreement without bickering. It was small, but it was still a hopeful sign.

'You know…" Yang said, sending Weiss an easy smile, "if you ever become interested, I wouldn't mind lending Ruby out to you for a night. You always seem so tense and the girl does know how to use her hands well."

She might have gotten smacked in the face with another pillow and suffered through Weiss' indignant yells for the next hour, but Yang didn't see any reason to retract her offer.

/

Weeks had passed and the girls were settling well into their lives at Beacon Academy. It had been nearly two months since they became a team, and although there had been bumps along the way, their sense of cooperation carried them along.

Studying and training compromised the majority of the girls' time, especially with the upcoming Vytal Festival only a few months away. Relaxation time became a precious commodity and Ruby was struggling to keep up with her partner's enthusiasm for this essay.

Yang had been wise, grabbing a book from the shelf and tagging along with Blake for an outdoor reading session when she noticed Weiss spreading her textbooks out. Ruby, unfortunately, wasn't as quick to think of an excuse.

"Check the text on page 470. There should be a chart detailing the populations of Grimm from Vacuo_, _as well as the habitats they are commonly found in." Weiss hadn't stopped writing as she gave Ruby her commands.

They had spent the last two hours crammed next to each other at one of the tables in their room, perusing texts and recording their findings for an essay Professor Port had assigned them. There was still a week left to finish, but Weiss had a weird notion for wanting to do exceedingly well in Professor Port's class. Ruby knew she wanted to do well in every class, of course, but there was definitely something different about Professor Port's. Ruby tried not to question it, but that didn't mean she enjoyed working so hard during a weekend either.

"Ruby, if you aren't going to help, then you will have to do this all on your own later. Be thankful that Professor Port made this a corroborative assignment."

Ruby's head shot up as she grabbed her Grimm Studies text and flipped to page 470. "Ahh, sorry about that!" She looked over the chart, trying to figure out the most useful information Weiss could use for the section they were working on, but Ruby had gotten so distracted by boredom that she had lost track of where they were on the paper. Risking a glance, she tried to read what Weiss was writing, only to notice that the other girl's hand had finally stopped moving.

Weiss was looking at her, but she didn't have the pinched face of annoyance that Ruby had gotten so used to seeing.

"You're starting to look a bit tired," Weiss said, setting her pencil down. She leaned back, pulling her shoulders tight in an effort to ease the cramps that had formed from being stuck in the same position for such a long time. She wasn't going to admit it, but she was beginning to wear out from the project as well. "How about I make us some coffee? Or would you prefer a different drink instead?"

"Coffee sounds great, actually!" Ruby sent a quick smile to Weiss before starting to tidy up their table, not wanting to risk the chance of accidentally spilling coffee over all of their hard work.

"Don't clean up too much, Ruby. We're just going to take a 15 minute break and then we're going to finish writing those last 4 pages."

Ruby sighed, but Weiss didn't pay her any mind as she walked out of their room towards the kitchen area. Ruby figured she should have known better than to expect anything more from her partner; Weiss was adamant about being studious and nothing was going to change that.

It didn't take long for Weiss to return, setting down the two mugs of coffee while joining Ruby at the table. While Weiss had been gone, Ruby had the forethought to pull out a small bag of sweets she had picked up in Vale the previous weekend. They were going to make the most of this little study break, Ruby was sure about that.

Picking up her coffee, she breathed in the aroma while letting the mug warm her hands.

These small moments were rare, where Ruby and Weiss could sit in comfortable silence, and Ruby appreciated them greatly. Not being forced into conversation, not worrying about how she was being interpreted; it was relaxing.

Ruby couldn't ask for a better set of friends to have while at Beacon. They accepted her despite her age, talked and laughed with her, and trained with her, too. But there were still times when Ruby felt the need to retreat a bit; close the walls of sheets above her bed and let herself be. Having Weiss sit next to her, giving her a chance for amiable quiet, it was a tiny blessing that Ruby cherished immensely.

Looking over to her partner, Ruby watched as the girl helped herself to the small pile of sweets. Ruby knew Weiss didn't allow herself indulgences often, so she was glad that she could encourage when she was able to.

While watching her, Ruby noticed that Weiss kept rubbing her left hand, most likely in an effort to ease out any cramps that had formed during the course of the essay. She might not have voiced any complaints, but that didn't change the fact that Weiss had written everything they had so far.

Setting down her coffee mug, Ruby turned to face Weiss fully, pulling her chair just a bit closer to her partner's. "Weiss, can I see your hand?"

Weiss had paused mid-rub when Ruby had moved closer, questioning why the girl had decided to do such a thing. Ruby had her own hand held out, ready to grasp Weiss', but Weiss wasn't sure what the girl was planning on doing.

"Come on, I'm not going to bite you or anything, I promise."

"Like you would even try." Weiss decided to trust her partner, even if she was a bit wary about it. Placing her hand into Ruby's, she watched as the girl carefully inspected her; tracing fingers over her palm and across her knuckles, cataloguing the slopes of her bones and all the tiny lines that were settled into her flesh. It reminded her vaguely of how her grandfather would inspect dust crystals. But unlike those crystals, she didn't feel like her power was being assessed, or her value.

Ruby nodded, after a while, pleased with whatever she had discovered. Still grasping Weiss' hand in one, Ruby used her other hand to push Weiss' sleeve up her arm.

At this, Weiss pulled back. "What in the world are you doing?" She hadn't pulled back far enough to disconnect their hands, but Weiss wanted Ruby to know that she wasn't fully comfortable with whatever was happening.

Ruby's head snapped back up, like she had been lost in a mission. "Oh, sorry! I'm, uh, rolling up your sleeve. Is that alright?"

"And why, exactly, do you think you need to do such a thing?"

"Well…because I guess I wanted to help make your hand feel better. I mean, you've done a lot of the work for this essay and I really appreciate that, so it's the least I can do, right?" Ruby didn't try to pull Weiss closer, but she did give Weiss' hand a gentle squeeze, hoping to let the girl know that she didn't hold any foul intentions.

Weiss sighed, shaking her head at her partner. "My hand isn't going to break or anything, Ruby."

"No, I know! It's just that, well, like," Ruby paused, searching her brain for a good analogy to help Weiss understand, "oh! It's like how I make sure Crescent Rose is always running smoothly. If I don't maintain her, she won't work as well as I know she can."

"Did you really just compare touching my hand to fondling your scythe?"

"Hahah, she's not just any scythe, Weiss, she's my Crescent Rose," Ruby said, making sure to keep eye contact. "Like how you're not just any person. You're my partner."

There was such sincerity in that statement, that needless exclamation of fact. Of course, Weiss was Ruby's partner. When they had made eye contact, Weiss had felt such irritation, annoyance, to be stuck with a child for four whole years. But hearing the declaration now, stated so wholeheartedly, it made Weiss tense. The hand gripping hers was so warm; it couldn't be from the heat of the coffee mug that Ruby had clung to earlier, but it was radiating. She couldn't do this.

With a tug, Weiss slid her hand out of Ruby's and folded it onto her lap. "While the offer is much appreciated, Ruby, our 15 minutes are up. We need to finish the essay now."

She turned back towards the table, not wanting to see Ruby's reaction, and she tried not to focus on the sound of Ruby's voice when she muttered the quiet 'okay'. There was an assignment to finish and that was what needed the most attention now.

/

It wasn't often that the training room was empty and Yang wasn't going to waste this opportunity. Grabbing Ruby's hand, she pulled her little sister into the room before the girl could think about making a last-minute escape.

"Help me set up the mats." Yang knew Ruby usually wasn't the type of person to pass on training. They had practiced with each other throughout their years at Signal and, even while growing up back home, they had play fights that would occasionally led to broken doors and a week's worth of grounding and extra chores.

But Ruby had been more secluded this past week, choosing to curl up on her bed while fiddling with her scroll instead of joining everyone on their usual outings. Yang knew Ruby's habits well enough to realize that she needed some time to herself, but that didn't mean she was going to let Ruby believe she was alone. Sisters have to stick together, after all.

With the mats in place, the girls stretched before settling into form in front of each other. Earlier, while they were changing into their workout clothes, they had decided to leave Ember Celica and Crescent Rose back in the safety of their room so they could focus on physical combat.

"Okay, today we're going to work out our bodies and your emotions," Yang said, knocking her fists together to test the cushion of her grappling gloves. "Prepare yourself, little sister."

"Wait, what?!"

Yang stepped forward, taking a reckless swing at Ruby to keep her from finding an excuse to back out. They were going to do this and they were going to do it right now.

Ruby dodged, trying to set her conflicting feelings aside. She should have figured Yang would pull this sort of trick on her. Yang always believed that a good brawl helped release tension and heal old sores. If she had time, Ruby would have kicked herself for being so easily coerced out of her bed today; all she wanted to do was mope in peace.

Circling each other, Yang waited until Ruby pulled herself together before aiming a punch at her jaw. Her fist made contact with Ruby's arm as the girl sought to protect her face, but that didn't stop Yang from sending a kick to her chest as well.

Yang wasn't aiming to fight at full strength, but the force behind her kick was enough to knock Ruby back a few steps.

Steadying herself, Ruby sought to regain the bit of breath that was just knocked out of her. After their fight, she would be able to use her aura to heal away any major pains, but that didn't stop her from feeling the ache in her chest right now. Breathing deep, she relaxed into her stance again and stepped back up to Yang.

A punch aimed to her side forced her to retreat again, giving Yang the opportunity to push forward and sweep a leg under her feet. Her balance suddenly lost, Ruby landed hard on her back, feeling the pains in her chest wrap around her torso.

Yang stood above her, hand outstretched and a grin on her face. "Come on, little sister, stop holding everything in. You know I can take whatever you throw at me."

Feeling the cold mat pressed against her back, Ruby consider her sister's words.

It was true; she had been holding back when she shouldn't. She was supposed to be a leader, and a partner, and most importantly, a sister. But here she was, not taking responsibility for any of these things; choosing instead to hide under her covers rather than overcome the embarrassment and disappointment of rejection. She might be bad at handling people, but she wouldn't, she couldn't, let her team suffer from it.

Grabbing Yang's hand, Ruby pulled herself back up. She held tight, letting Yang know that she was ready to throw herself into wholeheartedly into their match. She might be considered a prodigy with Crescent Rose, but that didn't change the fact that Ruby had learned a vast number of techniques from her years spent practicing with her sister. She knew how to use her body in a fight too, even if she didn't prefer it. Stepping back, this time with no motive to retreat, Ruby relaxed her body and prepared to strike.

By the time they were finished, Ruby was ready to welcome the ground as her new permanent bed. Exhausted and nearly out of breath, she eased herself down to the floor, gracious to the fact that she wasn't being thrown around anymore. With her speed semblance and quick reflexes, she was good at landing jabs, but the close contact often resulted in Yang getting an easy grip on her and using the momentum of her speed to toss Ruby to the ground. It could be brutal, but it taught Ruby how to stand back up every time.

Yang joined her on the floor, passing over the bottle of water they had brought in earlier. They hadn't spoken during the fight, too focused on besting each other the way siblings are wont to do, and Yang figured now would be the best time.

"Alright, sis, time to explain what's going on in that head of yours."

Ruby groaned. Even though she already made the commitment to fix things in her head earlier, it still didn't stop the embarrassment from forming again. "I think I screwed up majorly with Weiss." She leaned back, careful not to spill any water, and stared at the ceiling. "I pushed her and made her uncomfortable, and she's just so distant now. It's like the last two months haven't even happened and I'm totally to blame for it."

Yang should have figured Weiss was involved in all of this. The girl had been making more and more excuses to hang out at the library rather than spend time studying in their room. Glancing down at her little sister, she saw how upset Ruby had become from the confession. "The two of you were getting pretty close, weren't you?"

"Yeah, and now I've ruined it."

It would have been easy to scoff at Ruby here; call her overdramatic, tell her to just apologize, and promise that everything would be okay. But how would that fix anything? Friendships aren't just built on pretty words and miracles. They're earned, maintained, and cherished. And if Ruby knew that she made Weiss feel uncomfortable, then she had to make an effort to set things right.

"You know, at first, it was like I constantly had to seek Blake out just to spend any time with her. Almost like I had to prove to her that I could enjoy silence the way she does; that I wouldn't try to change her habits just so I could force friendship on her. But nowadays she'll search for me too and invite me to join her because we've come to understand each other. And I think if something happened and Blake started acting like old-Blake again, I'd probably spend hours hunting her down just to make things right."

Ruby nodded, understanding what Yang was trying to express. She needed to take action to set things right, even if it made her feel nervous. "I know. But, Yang, why do friendships have to be so hard?"

"Because they're worth it." Yang smiled fondly at Ruby, seeing her little sister build up her resolve was pleasing, and she was going to do whatever she could to help. "So, how about you explain exactly what happened and we can brainstorm some solutions to our little problem, hmm?"

/

The last thing Ruby wanted to do was corner Weiss.

Her talk with Yang had prepared her as best as it could, but that still meant she had to follow through on the advice.

Blake had left with Yang earlier, both agreeing to spend the evening around Vale to give Ruby the opportunity to talk to her partner alone. Ruby appreciated the thought immensely, but hanging around in their room, completely alone until Weiss returned, only made Ruby's nerves jumble up again. Blake had told her that Weiss was visiting with Professor Peach, something about supplementary readings for their next class discussion, but Ruby hadn't figured it would take this long.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, she played with the hem of her skirt to pass the time. Across the hall she could hear Team JNPR and she wondered if they ever had to deal with problems like this, too. The four of them seemed to fit so well together.

Before she could consider the thought longer, her ears picked up the steady tap of Weiss' heels. If she wasn't so worried about preparing herself, Ruby might have felt embarrassed about the fact that she had memorized the sound of Weiss' walk.

She didn't have long to wait before the door opened and Weiss walked in, carrying an assortment of books that Ruby was sure wasn't required reading at all.

If Weiss was surprised to see only Ruby in their room, she didn't show it, and instead moved to organize her new collection of books on the shelves closest to her bed. "Good evening, Ruby."

"H-hi, Weiss." She wasn't going to corner her, Ruby reminded herself. She was just going to provide an opportunity for discussion. That's what friends do, even if they're nervous about it. "Do you think we could talk for a bit?"

Weiss paused, holding only a couple of books in the crook of her arm this time. She seemed to consider the books for a moment before setting them on her bed and, finally, looking up at Ruby. "Only if it's quick. I have some readings I would like to do for Professor Peach's class tonight."

"It won't take long, I promise," Ruby said, sliding off the edge of her bed to land in front of Weiss. She hoped it would be easier like this, being on level ground with her partner. "I just want to say that I'm really, _really_ sorry for making you feel uncomfortable the other day." Weiss looked like she wanted to interject here, but Ruby kept talking, knowing that she had to making amends while she had the courage to do so. "You, you didn't actually say anything that night, but I can tell because you've...been avoiding me a lot lately."

Weiss looked down, just briefly, before gathering herself back up. "I've just been busy, Ruby. You know I take my classes very seriously."

"I know. I know you take a lot of pride in your grades and how well you learn the material and how you always know an answer when everyone else doesn't because you do all those extra readings even when you don't have to. I know."

A smile crept onto Weiss' face here, but it wasn't a happy one like Ruby had hoped for. "You've been avoiding me, too, Ruby."

"I…I have."

They drew quiet here, allowing their thoughts to settle. It was hard to be honest sometimes, even over little things.

"I'm not…" Weiss was the first to speak, ever quick to compose herself, "I don't really know how to handle you, Ruby." Her voice was coming out so softly now, a near whisper, and Ruby was glad for their close proximity. "It's like everything you do is meant to confuse me."

Ruby watched as Weiss pulled her arms tight across her chest; either in anger or simple resolution or something else, Ruby couldn't tell. "I don't mean too, Weiss, I-"

"That's exactly it, though! You don't actually mean it and that's what makes it so difficult! You squeeze your way into my life and you do all these dumb, kind things without ever wanting something in return. You're just asking to be taken advantage of in the future if you don't learn to negotiate soon!"

Ruby raised her hands, hoping to find a way to soothe Weiss back into her quiet state. "I'm sorry! I'll try to do, uh, better?"

"I highly doubt that. You're not that type of person." Weiss paused here, considering her words. "I think that's what I like about you. You don't have some hidden agenda. And you're just so childish that it's ridiculous how quick I am to follow your lead sometimes."

"Thanks, I guess."

"No one had ever offered to do that for me before."

Ruby tilted her head, confused at Weiss' words.

"I was always told to just ignore pain. If I didn't acknowledge it, then it didn't really happen, right?" Weiss wouldn't look at Ruby here, instead focusing her gaze in some far corner of the room. After a moment, she rolled her eyes and look back at Ruby again. "But there you were, trying to help me feel better just because my hand was cramping."

"Well, that's what teammates are for, you know." Ruby sent Weiss a smile, hoping that they were reaching some sort of understanding. "To work together and make things easier for each other."

"There you go with your naivety again."

It was Ruby's turn to cross her arms now, playing up being offended. "And what, my dear partner, is so wrong with that?"

Pressing her palms to her eyes, Weiss groaned, "It gives me a headache is what it is."

Ruby stepped forward, just enough to catch Weiss' attention so she would look at her again. "Umm, I could help you with that, if you want, I mean! Whenever Yang gets a headache, I scratch her head and she always feels better afterwards."

"You really think scratching my head like some lowly pet is going to make me feel better. Really, Ruby?"

"Not when you put it like that, no." Ruby's head dropped, feeling awkward at her suggestion again. Weiss might believe that Ruby was good at confusing her, but that didn't mean Ruby had it easy either.

"My ponytail can get pretty tangled throughout the day, though."

Ruby looked back up, sending Weiss a questioning look. "What?"

"If you promise not to pull my hair out, I wouldn't mind if you brushed it. Just this once, of course."

At this, Ruby couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face. "Do you really think I would have survived with Yang if I didn't know how to be gentle with hair?"

She was rewarded with Weiss' laughter, her smile half-hidden behind fingers, but Ruby appreciated it immensely. At this, Weiss took the time to walk over to her luggage, pulling out her hairbrush before handing it over to Ruby.

"I suppose it would be more comfortable to sit on my bed. And I can read while you work, too."

"Sure, that works for me," Ruby said, moving to climb on.

Weiss' hand shot out and grabbed her cape, stopping her. "Take off your shoes first, you dolt! Who knows what you've walked in today!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh." Ruby stood back up to slip her shoes off her feet. "Better?"

"Much." Weiss gestured for Ruby to climb back on again, seeing no reason to stop her this time. Moving the books on her bed, she settled in front of Ruby and started unraveling her ponytail.

With her hair pulled free, she grabbed one of the books in front of her and flipped it open while waiting for Ruby to begin. She could feel as Ruby moved closer to her, and she couldn't tell if Ruby was taking her time or if she was just anxious about Ruby starting.

The first touch of the brush against her head felt better than Weiss cared to admit. Soft-bristled and gently pulled, it was like a shot of affection down Weiss' spine. She tried, desperately she tried, to concentrate on the words in front of her. She had had every intention of reading tonight, but she couldn't stop her eyes from closing as she tracked Ruby's careful strokes. She could feel a tingle spread across her face, but she refused to think about it as she focused on keeping her breathing calm.

Maybe it was because she was so used to being in control while touching. Always quick to pull away whenever someone else moved too close to her. But like this she couldn't see Ruby, let alone attempt to control her movements. It was a vulnerability that Weiss hadn't considered before.

"Don't," Weiss said, hoping talking could ease some of her discomfort, "don't expect me to return the favor or anything."

Ruby laughed, obviously comfortable in this state, "Hahah, you can just pay me back in spare metals or some more sweets, okay?"

Weiss chose not to answer that, her mind once more focusing on the soft pleasure radiating from Ruby's movements.

Maybe things like this, these small vulnerabilities and little compromises, wouldn't be so bad. She had four years to spend with this girl, she might as well make the best of it.


End file.
